Firefighter adopts kitten after rescue from drain

There's the cliche of firefighters putting up a ladder to rescue stranded cats from trees, but in Sunrise it was a different story.

This time, Sunrise Fire-Rescue received a call of a distressed kitten trapped in a drainage pipe. After rescuing her, one of them decided to take her home.

"I just figured it was meant to be," Driver Operator Tony Esposito said.

Esposito has been with the Sunrise Fire Department for 27 years. He remembers the call came from a man walking his dog by the Sunrise Elks Lodge. The day before, he heard mewing from the pipe but couldn't see any animals. The next day, after it had rained, he saw the kitten in the pipe and called the fire department.

"In between cats and dogs, most frequent are the ducklings that get caught in the storm drains," Fire Chief Norm Rynning said.

Esposito, Captain Scott McGary and Firefighter Paramedic Michael Oliva responded to the call. When the team arrived on the scene, the weeks-old kitten was floating on a piece of Styrofoam on 3 feet of water. It took the crew about 30 minutes to bring her to safety.

They called the Humane Society, but without a truck they couldn't come out to get the kitten. None of the other firefighters wanted to bring the kitten home, and Esposito decided to adopt her.

"He's got a heart of gold," Rescue Lieutenant Fred Levine said.

Levine was at the station when the kitten was brought in. He described the scene as a group of "grown men" gathered around the box – a cat being rescued is a rare thing, he said.

Rynning said this was the first time he heard of a firefighter adopting the animal rescued, but he wasn't surprised.

"We've got a lot of compassionate guys working here, whether it be with animals or people. So it didn't surprise me," he said.

Although she's still too young to tell, they think the kitten is a girl. Esposito named her Cuba and describes her as very shy and has been eating well.

"I don't think she's ever had a meal, she was probably in there for two weeks, and she's probably 3 weeks old," he said. "Everything's new [to her]."

Looking to adopt a pet? Be sure to check out our "Critter Corner" every week for animals looking for homes.